WEATHER IN LINCOLN COUNTY

DON’T RISK IT: “DRIVE SOBER OR GET PULLED OVER”
From Oregon State Police

It is not worth the risk to drive while impaired, so Oregon law enforcement agencies are reminding everyone to Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over and not let your 2011 end or New Year begin with an arrest for DUII.

“During the Christmas and New Years holiday season, many adults celebrate and enjoy themselves with a couple of drinks, but even one may increase the risk of a crash while driving a motor vehicle,” said Captain Mike Dingeman, director of the Oregon State Police (OSP) Patrol Services Division.

State, county and city law enforcement agencies in Oregon and throughout the country are stepping up enforcement efforts during the New Year’s Holiday weekend starting 6:00 p.m., Friday, December 30, through 11:59 p.m., Monday, January 2, 2012. In support of law enforcement efforts to reduce crashes caused by impaired and other dangerous drivers, ODOT variable message signs will also display the reminder highway travelers to Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over during the holiday weekend.

One person died in an Oregon traffic crash during last year’s 78-hour reporting period for the New Year’s Holiday weekend. According to ODOT’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), approximately 5 people died on average each year in Oregon traffic crashes during the New Year’s Holiday period.

OSP troopers reported 79 DUII drivers arrested over last year’s New Years Holiday period. More than half of the arrests happened January 1st between 12:01 a.m. and 11:59 p.m.

“There is nothing to celebrate sitting in a jail cell,” said Deschutes County Sheriff Larry Blanton, President of the Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association (OSSA). “Don’t let your 2011 holiday season end in an arrest or something worse. Remember, it’s not worth the risk.”